Best chipping option

[bullsta]

Hi all.The time draws near to take the plunge and chip my mk4 gti.
I can,t afford any other mods and to be honest I just want driveability with the odd little bit of fun.So realibility is paramount as I want to stay safely within clutch and especially turbo limitations.I know of and have researched all the biggies.Love APR but price and soldering of ECU scarey.Probably prefer to flash which opens up Revo and CC.I
As you all know once it,s done it,s done so trying to get it right.
Also if I was to add later upgrade exhaust etc would this need to be thought of with regards to which tune.
PLEASE just honest input from personnel experience.
Thankyou all

[Blitzen]

Mate, there are heaps of threads about Tuneing options, so you are best off using the 'search' option on here... Have a good look in the 'Tuneing and Performance' section of the forum... Saves the whole lot turning into a chip war...

[bullsta]

Hi Blitzen.Mate researched to death trust me.From what I can gather all the biggies seem to have a following which I suppose is a good thing.
I just don,t want to get it wrong and stuff up a good drive.

[h100vw]

No one is going to promise your clutch won't give out. If you are close on 100K then you can pretty much count on needing one within 12 months.

APR have been doing soldered in chips since the beginning and there's nothing scary about it in my eyes. It's the only way to put more than one flash in the ECU. Even my S3 had one in when I bought it.

Make sure your car is in top condition prior to getting any flash done. A good set of spark plugs and a known good diverter valve are really important.

Gavin

[Blitzen]

Hi Blitzen.Mate researched to death trust me.From what I can gather all the biggies seem to have a following which I suppose is a good thing.I just don,t want to get it wrong and stuff up a good drive.

Ok, sorry mate... I have just seen so many 'Which chip should I get??' on the forum... It's almost as bad as the 'Which wheels should I get' threads.

The info that Gavin gave is spot on. It's all about research, ringing around (this helps, I found more than one chip dealer that knew nothing about his products), and finding out what you want... I looked at 7 chips before settling on the one I got, and at the end of the day, it's your cash...

[Greg Roles]

In my opinion I'd be going with any stage 1 tune, they will all be ballpark for power, and won't overly tax your drivetrain. Getting caught up in power is nice, but how is the power under the curve, the drivability? My bosses 103kw Eos with the Oettinger tune is FAR better to drive, despite being close to my GT TDI power output, with a good dose more torque. The drive is astoundingly different. I think the budget end tunes are just fine, and it comes down to bang for buck, along with local presence for support. Blitz is right in saying anyone can be a reseller for tunes, but do they really know what they are doing? I had the opportunity to sell tunes via my little side business, but as it's an area outside my experience, I didn't go with it, and would rather recommend Gavin above, Parso-Rex, or APR at the boutique end, as these guys specialize in this area. That's no ill comment towards other great tunes such as Revo and GIAC etc, just my direct experience from talking to these companies.

[Jmac]

You might also want to talk to someone who can diagnose it if the tune shows up a glitch that wasnt apparent beforehand and not just sell you a tune and be gone. i agree anyone can sell tunes, its backing them up with outside the square things that do in fact happen. Seen plenty of coils, Mafs, plugs , Divertors , 02 sensors to name a few show up after a flash. Couple of clutches of late with very low kss , clamping force not up to the job.
Speaking from experience
Jmac

[Greg Roles]

..oh and in Brisbane, Jimmy above would HAVE to be a finalist!!